Tips on Using Social Media as an Author by George Jreije and Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author George Jreije here to share about his MG contemporary fantasy Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria. I’m definitely hoping to read it because it is a contemporary fantasy and has alchemists.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Twelve-year-old Shad Hadid is an aspiring baker whose life is uprooted when he discovers he’s descended from a long line of alchemists and sent to the mysterious Alexandria Academy. Only, his arrival at the school awakens a nefarious force long lurking in the shadows, and he’ll soon learn he holds the key to either stopping—or unleashing—their evil plot.

 Now here’s George!

Sometimes, when I’m sitting at the edge of the water a sandy beach, I like to imagine corny analogies I can make to the rise and fall of the tides. Here’s one. All social media platforms are like a tide, rising to prominence for a time and then retreating into obscurity once the next platform comes to take over.

If you’re done cringing, I’d love to talk a bit about where that leaves us as we scramble to keep up with bookish social media and what we can do to stay ahead, whether that means finding the largest audience to market ourselves or simply keeping up with trends. There are three bits of advice I’m going to offer that can be summed up with one phrase that extend the analogy from before…

 Ride the waves.

What do I mean by this? Simply put, us in the literary community must be open minded, attentive, and most of all, purposeful.

Beginning with being open minded, we need to allow ourselves to embrace new platforms as they come along. I shied away from joining TikTok for the longest time, even when I knew it was going to be big. And not just big, but the largest platform by far, coming to rival giants like Google and Amazon in terms of traffic. Joining just months earlier could have had a major impact on my followership. I wasn’t open minded. Luckily, I swallowed my pride and made an account, and while I’m not the biggest TikToker (or Booktoker, as they call us in the bookish community there), however, I do have a nice following. Moreover, I’ve met influencers on that site who are promoting my work, which is huge!

Being attentive means not only noticing what new social media platforms are surging in popularity, but which ones are dying. If we remain in our echo chambers and don’t heed what is happening around us, we’ll fail to notice things like TikTok becoming so big that there’s a table dedicated to titles recommended on the platform in every Barnes & Noble. Even some independent bookstores are following suit now! We’ll also fail to notice that Clubhouse wasn’t the big new thing that we all thought it would be a year ago. Not that there is something dire about missing the news, but it can lead to investing hundreds of hours in a site no one else is on. That is why we need to be present, not worrying about the future so much that we create whole strategies around one site that end of useless. Nor can we dwell on the past and find ourselves left behind. Things can quickly, and so you must be ready to respond in kind.

Finally, be purposeful in which platforms you stick to and what you do on them. This is the most critical tip for me. Social media is not meant to be something, like Netflix, where you watch a show before bed. No, there are teams working behind the scenes to make sure you’re checking your account on a phone or computer all the time. They want you hooked. For that reason, be very honest with yourself about why you’re on a particular social media platform and use them accordingly. Remembering to be one using them and not the other way around will help make sure you’re nimble and able to adapt long term. Otherwise, they can and will suck up all your time.

I hope these three bits of advice are as useful to you as they have been for me. Know that, if anything, I’m thankful for social media bringing us together. Swing by one of my pages and say hello, though be sure to also take breaks and do other things…like reading! And if you’re looking for your next book, check out SHAD HADID AND THE ALCHEMISTS OF ALEXANDRIA. I promise you won’t regret it.

Bio: George is the Lebanese American author of Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria, a children's fantasy novel with HarperCollins. He has also written short stories published in collaboration with UNICEF. When not writing, George enjoys trying tasty Arabic pastries, messing with new yoga poses, and mentoring other writers.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ByGeorgeJreije

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ByGeorgeJreije

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@ByGeorgeJreije

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/george.jreije.9

Email: ByGeorgeJreije@gmail.com

Giveaway Details

George’s publisher is generously offering an ARC of Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by November 5th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or George on his social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The ARC giveaway is U.S.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog. 

Upcoming Interviews and Guest Posts

Wednesday, November 2 I have an agent/author guest post by Marlo Berliner and Charity Alyse and a giveaway of Charity’s YA contemporary Other Side of the Tracks and a critique query by Marlo

Monday, November 7 I have an interview with debut author Elaine Kachala and a giveaway of her MG nonfiction book Superpower? The Wearable-Tech Revolution

Tuesday, November 8 I’m participating in the  Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop

Monday, November 14 I have an agent spotlight interview with Adria Goetz and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, November 16 I’m participating in the In All Things Give Thanks Giveaway Hop

Monday, November 23 I have a guest post by author Jessica Vitalis and a giveaway of her MG fantasy The Rabbit’s Gift

Hope to see you on Wednesday, November 2!